


Bliss

by Amalthea



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-01
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2018-01-10 18:52:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1163259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amalthea/pseuds/Amalthea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin heads over to Haru's for the weekend, but his upcoming birthday and insecurities weigh on his mind on the train ride there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bliss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ellerean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellerean/gifts).



> I'm so sorry I'm pretty sure you wanted a threesome or something but I wrestled with it and it became silly fluff instead. I hope you like, still?

        Rin watched the late afternoon sun cast its glow through the train windows. Anything away from his phone with the text from Haru acknowledging an imminent Rin visit, a little later than usual. It wouldn't be long until he arrived in Iwatobi, but the ride felt longer than ever this time.

 

        Almost a year. Almost a year had passed since Rin came back to Japan and encountered his friends from Iwatobi again. Rin wasted some of that time as he put up his walls and tried pushing the others away. At that time, he didn't expect to ever be friends with them. He honestly expected that he would move on. Turned out, he tried to move on from the wrong thing.

 

        The rest of that half of a year he spent with them was longer than they had known each other in elementary school. Though Rin couldn't cut his practice and needed to take the train to meet up with them, he still made it a point to meet up with them as much as possible, and often they would stop by his dorm at Samezuka. They all went to festivals, held holiday parties, and... celebrated birthdays.

 

       Rin, in his dense cloud, missed Haru's and Nagisa's birthday. Next year, he swore to himself, he'd make it up to them. Makoto's birthday, he bought a set of figures from that one sentai series he talked about in elementary school. It's a good thing Makoto was still such a big nerd. Rei, he had only met recently, but could already tell that the fashionable pants would suit him well.

 

       But with one day before his own birthday, he felt full of dread.

 

       Sure, he spent all that time having fun with others. He reconnected with Haru, Makoto, and Nagisa even better than they all had before, and he already hit it off well with Rei. For all he could see, they wanted him around them. And he wanted to be around them.

 

       But what if they still... they're still apprehensive of him? Rin scrutinized every interaction after the day was over, searching for any sign of unease. Try as he might, worry always plagued his mind as it always does. Tricky things, brains. His mind never failed to remind him as he tried to sleep at night how much trouble he had caused for his friends and how much they should still feel wounded by him.

 

       The train came to a stop, Rin only just realizing that he arrived at his destination. His bones felt heavy, and not just from training. This hesitation always caught him at the worst times. The few other people on the train quickly stepped out, so Rin took his stuff and followed in case the train doors closed on him. He would probably wait that long at this rate, Rin thought, irritated. But as he walked out of the train station, he already felt lighter.

 

       The salty air filled his lungs, bringing back memories of those days from Iwatobi Elementary. He came by to hang out with his friends all the time, so it should have been something natural for him by now. But whenever his spirits got down again, he only had to feel that wind blowing over the ocean and see the smiling faces of his friends. Then he knew everything would be just fine.

 

       But Rin didn’t linger on thoughts too cheesy even for himself for too long. Despite his still lingering doubts, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and jogged towards Haru’s place. Sometimes, Haru would wait by the train station when Rin announced coming over. Not this time, which sure didn’t help to assuage his feelings, but he didn’t let it cut into his stride anymore. Come to think of it, maybe Haru and them don’t actually know his birth date. He never really got around to telling them… and every year in Australia he spent without anyone else. Of course he was just silly about this. Why would this just bother him now?

 

      Haru’s house looked so refined, within the same line of sight as the torii and shrine in the setting sun. Rin knocked and rang the bell, sure to make enough noise to remind Haru that he can’t just soak in the tub when a guest visitings.

 

      After a beat in which Rin considered sending Haru a flurry of annoying texts, the door slowly cracked open to reveal a bright blue eye shining in the dark of the house. If anything, this reminded Rin of a giant cat.

 

      Rin shook his head. “Hey, you gonna let me in? Or just stare at me like I’m trying to sell you something?”

 

      The eye glanced at something behind the door, before finally opening it to reveal a Haru. “You should have said when you were leaving.”

 

      “Why?” Rin raised an eyebrow as he invited himself into the house. “And why were you sitting in the-“

 

      Rin couldn’t finish when bits of something flew in his face and mouth. “What the-“

 

      Oh, he dimly realized, it’s confetti.

 

      “Surprise!”

 

      Once Rin spit the confetti out of his mouth, he could now see that someone turned the light on, as well as everyone laughing.

 

      “Oops! I’m so sorry!” Makoto said, laughing and hugging and brushing confetti out of Rin’s face before Rin could even fully grasp the situation.

 

       Ah. Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, and Gou all sat around Haru’s living room table. They held streamers in hand and those damn noisy things that pop and shoot out confetti- oh right, Rin used one of those when they all surprised Makoto for his birthday.

 

      “Rin-chan! Happy birthday!” Nagisa practically jumped across the room to hug Rin on the opposite side of Makoto. What an endless ball of energy.

 

      “Onii-chan!” Gou wasted no time in nearly tackling him in a hug too.

 

      Rei stood in his usual poised and graceful manner, though he tried to hide his laugh behind his glasses-adjusting hand. “Congratulations, Rin-san, and many happy returns.” There wasn’t much else of Rin left to hug, so Rei took a moment to find an opening.

 

      Just when Rin felt surrounded on all sides, Rin felt a weight against the nape of his neck, surely Haru’s head leaning against it. Haru was just weird like that.

 

      “You nerds know my birthday is tomorrow, right?”

 

      Damn voice, cracking like that. He couldn’t help it, though, nor the heat building up behind his eyes no matter how hard he swallowed or willed himself composed. Everyone only tightened their circle around him. Rin didn’t know how he could doubt them all the way that he did. This was the best birthday he had ever had, even if it wasn’t his actual birthday yet.

 

      Afterwards, they ate a cake with a set of plastic marine animals (plus one butterfly) on the top. Rin washed the bits of frosting left on them and put them in his bag, possibly for his sparsely decorated desk when he went back to the dorm. He never had a taste for sweets, but everything tasted better like this. They all chipped in with their present to him, which was a whole outfit. Everyone picked out the individual parts, and it wasn’t… entirely coordinated, but Rin could make it work.

 

      They watched movies while eating pizza and cupcakes (Rin nearly cried for the second time that day at the family movie chosen) and played video games (Rin might be dead even with Haru, but both got smoked by Makoto). Rin couldn’t remember feeling so relieved and careless in his life. It couldn’t last too long, however, as time passed far too fast. With one more big hug, Rin saw his Gou, Nagisa, and Rei off.

 

      “It’s a good thing I trust you guys,” Rin said, earning a jab in the arm from his sister.

 

      “If anything, I should be more worried for you!” Gou replied, her gaze turning to Haru.

 

      Rin snorted. “What does that even mean?” But before he could get any answer to that, Rin was left with Haru and Makoto.

 

      “Hey. You better help me clean up,” Haru said, already with his broom.

 

      “I have to clean up after a party held for me?” Rin asked with feigned offense, but he quickly got to it.

 

      Makoto’s light laugh turned Rin’s attention back to him. “Don’t he have to help too?”

 

      “I’m just here to make sure you both behave,” Makoto said, though he joined in setting everything in order. Nagisa alone was messy enough, and well, you can’t blame a party with teenagers. And when Rin sleeps over anywhere, he makes sure it’s clean.

 

      “Behave?”

 

      “Oh, nothing.”

 

      Once they finished cleaning the house, the three went back to playing video games. Makoto perched on the bed, Haru and Rin closer to the screen, both the type to lean into the TV when excited. Neither Haru nor Rin could beat Makoto, still.

 

      “You gotta be cheating or something!” Rin didn’t want to pout, but he did as his fighter was K.O.ed twice in a row against Makoto’s.

 

      “Aw, I just practice a lot.”

 

      Without warning, Rin felt something warm press against his back. Makoto’s chest, apparently.

 

      Rin grumbled as he reluctantly leaned into the hug. “I don’t need your pity either.”

 

      Haru, apparently feeling left out of this, scooted closer.

 

      Makoto laughed again, giving the controller to Haru. “You guys keep playing, that’s enough for me tonight.”

 

      “Alright, I guess I can still kick Haru’s ass.” Rin shot a challenging grin, Haru giving a serious glare in response.

 

      They both played, almost to the point of time in a round running out, with neither able to get one up on the other.

 

      Rin took the first round, making sure to laugh the most obnoxious laugh. He didn’t have long to celebrate, since Haru took the second. Well, the small, satisfied grin on Haru’s face pleased Rin more than he would want to admit.

 

      The last round came down to the wire, with neither able to get in that one last hit. Rin felt the adrenaline, hyper-awareness, sure he’d make the match his-

 

      Until he felt Haru’s soft lips on his own.

 

      “Player 1 wins!”

 

      Rin blinked. Makoto laughed again.

 

      “Wh- wha-! THAT’S NOT FAIR!”

 

      Rin truly had the best night ever.


End file.
